'Bird Flu' (H5N1) in the US: Current Summary of Humans and Domestic Animals (January 8, 2025)

Bird Flu (H5N1) info is rapidly changing, but we still don’t know much from the limited data available. The CDC and USDA have made major updates to their H5N1 websites within the past week, suggesting the situation may be shifting more significantly.

We’re sharing the current rundown on bird flu (H5N1) based on some of Cocreations' data monitoring and visualization work so far.  We’ll also provide some helpful links to keep everyone in the loop!

𝟏. 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬: H5N1 isn't deemed a major direct threat to most humans right now, but serious cases have occurred, and future risks can't be ruled out.

• Cases: As of January 8th  2024, 66 people in 10 states tested positive, and one person has died. Most infections came from cattle in California or poultry in other states.

• Spread: No human-to-human transmission has been reported, but two cases came from unknown sources, raising concerns.

• Mutation Risk: A severe case in Louisiana involved a mutation different from others in the US. Mutations allow the virus to adapt, potentially making it more dangerous and easier to spread. This specific mutation is thought to advance H5N1’s ability to target the human respiratory tract.

• Resources:  See CDC's "Current Situation" site for up-to-date information. Healthcare providers can find resources here.

*No new data as of Jan 8, 2024

𝟐. 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐬: H5N1 poses a serious threat to cats, with an estimated 67% fatality rate.

• Cases: Since 2022, 57 domestic cat infections have been reported across 15 states, with 41 cases in 2024 alone.

• Trends: While publicly available data are limited, there are signs of increasing cat infections.

• Precautions: Keep cats indoors, do not feed raw food or milk (even if freeze-dried), keep footwear/clothing worn around outdoor animals’ body fluids/bedding away from your feline.

• Resources:  Pet parents and Veterinarians can find information here.

𝟑. 𝐃𝐨𝐠𝐬: No dog cases have been reported in the US, and dogs are considered low risk. However, related animals like foxes have been severely affected.

• Precautions: Follow similar safety measures as suggested for cats to reduce spread and mutation risks, especially if you have both pets.

𝟒. 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤: Multi-state outbreaks in cattle, poultry, and hobbyist farms are disrupting the food system. This is especially threatening to family-owned farms and local rural economies.

• Farmer/Hobbyist Precautions: Use protective gear, watch for symptoms, and test livestock before transport to reduce transmission. Consider measures to keep the farm and home separate (e.g., shoes/clothing, farm dogs/barn cats).

• Resources: The USDA offers up-to-date info, prevention guidance, and financial aid for biosecurity. The USDA also relies on farmers to report cases to help control the threat!

Poultry: US Counties affected Jan 2022 - Jan 8, 2024. Source: CDC. Up-to-date information can be found in link below.*

Cattle: US States affected Jan 2022 - Jan 8, 2024. Source: USDA. Up-to-date information can be found in link below.**

* CDC Current Poultry Infection Map

** USDA Current Cattle Infection Map

***𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘏5𝘕1 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮.

• 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦: 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘏5𝘕1 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

• 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦: 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘴.

• 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘢𝘱𝘴: 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴/𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 (𝘦.𝘨., 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴). 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

•𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴: 𝘈𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 2–4 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘯 2024 (𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯: 17 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴; 𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦: 28 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴). 𝘈𝘴 𝘰𝘧 12/30/2024, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘚𝘋𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 2023.